


AC19 Day 19: The Call

by The_Rose



Series: Rose's Advent Calendar 2019 [19]
Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: F/M, I have my own little canon for how some things went after Legion and kinda BFA, Illidan is obviously absent, Khalari is a young kid, Like between 8 and 10 years old, Maiev is a single mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21865468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Rose/pseuds/The_Rose
Summary: Looking through the window, Khalari sighed as he was getting bored. Downstairs, his mom was talking with Jarod about some matters that weren’t concerning him and he had nothing to do in his room. All of his books had been already read, more than once, and he was old enough to not want to play with his toys anymore, only allowing him to look through the windows endlessly.Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. Stormwind wasn’t that far away from the house and it could actually be a nice little walk.
Relationships: Maiev Shadowsong/Illidan Stormrage
Series: Rose's Advent Calendar 2019 [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559185
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	AC19 Day 19: The Call

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a little more Khalari.
> 
> Enjoy !

Looking through the window, Khalari sighed as he was getting bored. Downstairs, his mom was talking with Jarod about some matters that weren’t concerning him and he had nothing to do in his room. All of his books had been already read, more than once, and he was old enough to not want to play with his toys anymore, only allowing him to look through the windows endlessly.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. Stormwind wasn’t that far away from the house and it could actually be a nice little walk. Happy to have found something to do, he quickly grabbed his cloak allowing him to protect his wings and went right to the door, the hand already on the knob when he stopped. Maiev wouldn’t allow him to leave the house by himself, especially to go into such a big city and be alone and if he was leaving by the main door of the house, she would see him. Knowing it wouldn’t work, Khalari moved away from the door and looked around until he looked once again at the windows and that unconsciously, his wings began to spread on his back. He still hadn’t flown at all since he was born and wasn’t sure how to but at that moment, he felt that it was the right time.

He opened the window and look at how far he was from the ground and then, kept his wings spread. His breathing was heavy, knowing that if he failed, his mom and uncle would be alerted by it, and that he would have to admit he was going to sneak out of the house. Slowly, he began to move them, feeling some kind of invisible force trying to pull him off the ground and he smiled, it had to work. Finally, he closed his eyes and jumped out of his window and slowly glided until his feet touched the ground and that he slowly opened back an eye. He was out of the house and even if he didn’t really fly, he did succeed to leave without hurting himself in the process. Doing his best to not jump out of joy and alerting Maiev, he quickly adjusted the cloak on his back to hide the wings and began to walk away.

On his way to Stormwind, he looked up at the sky and saw the red star glowing above him. No matter that it was day or night, it would be visible and he had no idea if he liked it or not. He heard the stories from before his birth and perfectly knew who was there, so far away from him.

“Hi Dad,” he whispered at the star in the sky. “Please don’t tell mom I left the house, I don’t want her to worry about me.”

Khalari knew that his mom only wanted to protect him and was believing him to still be a little too young to leave alone the house. If he had just told her he wanted to go out for a walk, she would have probably accepted but either her or Jarod would have gone with him and it wasn’t what he wanted. The need for liberty and feeling like a grownup was too strong. He finally looked away from the red star and smiled sadly. He wished he could have known his father instead of just hearing about him and it was why he promised himself that one day, he would do anything to at least talk to him. But right now, he was too young to do anything.

Finally, he stepped into the city and tightened the cloak around him. Like always, the city was crowded and a lot of the people were using mounts, meaning that if he wasn’t careful, he could probably be hit by one. But once he reached the canals, he got more place to walk comfortably and he just kept exploring the place, realizing how different it was looking now that he was alone and not just following someone into the city. He had no real ideas as to what he was doing there and was just walking around aimlessly until a group of children, probably his age, bypassed him running.

“Faster! Shan’do won’t like it if we’re late,” told one of the children, a human, to the rest of the group.

“It’s your fault,” retorted a young Tauren. “If you hadn’t made us stop at that shop, we wouldn’t have to run.”

“We only have a few minutes left!” reminded a night elf.

The human was trying to say something else but they were out of Khalari’s hearing range and he just looked at the little group running, intrigued. He already heard about the term Shan’do and knew it was used to talk about the druidic teachers but he actually never met one before. Maiev was constantly avoiding the little park next to the embassy when they were in the city and he knew it was the place where the druids were training. Not really sure why, Khalari let his steps guide him to that place, following from far away the little group.

Once he finally reached the training ground for the druid, he stayed away and climbed a tree, allowing him to see everything from afar while not being seen. From where he was, he saw an adult night elf with antlers speaking to the children and he guessed that it had to be their Shan’do. He was explaining something, moving his arms around and it was like the students were listening as if their life were depending on it and Khalari became even more curious, rocking on the branch he was sitting on, fighting with the need to join them. One of the children put his hand up in the air and the adult stopped talking, allowing them to talk and he simply nodded before stepping back, making sure that no one was too close to him and then, shapeshifted into a bear. The crowd of children cheered and Khalari just opened his mouth wide as it was the first time he was seeing a druid shapeshift. He knew they could do that but he never got to see it by himself. The Shan’do took back his elf form and a lot of other children raised their hands in the air to ask questions and Khalari really regretted not being able to hear them. Finally, the adult stopped talking and the children began to spread into little groups to do exercises and Khalari slowly remembered that Maiev wasn’t aware that he wasn’t in the house anymore, and that it could be a good idea to start going back but as he was thinking about it, he realized that the teacher spotted him on his tree and was already coming in his direction.

“Hello,” he said smiling. “What are you doing here?”

Khalari awkwardly smiled and climbed down the tree to reach the ground.

“I…I was just watching,” he answered, tightening the cloak around him as he had no idea how to explain that he had been literally fascinated by the demonstration.

“You could have come closer if you wanted, my lessons are opened to everyone.”

“I didn’t know…Is it over?” asked Khalari, wishing that he hadn’t wasted his day staying too far away.

“My students are just doing a few exercises, do you want to join them?”

Khalari looked at the different groups in front of him, laughing and encouraging each other to do some task he couldn’t understand yet. He felt his curiosity growing inside him, almost exploding and at the moment, he completely forgot his plan on going back home and act as if he never left.

“I can?” he asked, looking up at the adult, hope tainting his voice.

“Of course,” he chuckled, showing him the way. “I’m Shan’do Malfurion.”

“Khalari!” he burst out, tightening the cloak around him again, but this time only to restrain his wings to furiously flap out of joy.

Malfurion smiled as they walked back towards the other students. He had lost count on how many students just started as lurkers and it was no big deal for him to recognize a child with an interest, and maybe a real affinity, with druidism. He was just intrigued as Khalari was clearly the son of a demon hunter as he wasn’t even hiding the small horns on his forehead and that he saw the cloak moving by itself, probably hiding wings. He would have never imagined a demon hunter going back to druidism, or even be able to have a child, but he put those thoughts on the side, knowing it would only give him a headache.

They reached the other students but stayed away as they were still busy with the exercises and that Malfurion had to test Khalari’s affinity with nature before anything else.

“We are going to try something first,” he explained, sitting on the ground. “First, sit like me.”

Khalari furiously nodded and quickly let himself drop on the ground and crossed his legs under him, doing his best to not rock constantly.

“Now, close your eyes and breathe calmly.”

Knowing it was really important, Khalari calmed himself, taking deep breaths before closing his eyes.

“Keep breathing calmly,” said Malfurion. “Concentrate on your surroundings and then, tell me what you see or feel.”

He slowly nodded to tell him that he understood the instructions and he followed them. Quickly, he stopped hearing the other students talking around him and he was left in the dark, only feeling his breathing. For what seemed an eternity to him, he stayed in the dark, not seeing or feeling anything and his shoulders dropped as he was sure it would only be a bad sign but then, slowly, he began to hear a little bird singing on a tree near them.

“I hear the bird,” he whispered.

“The bird?” asked Malfurion as there was no bird near them but Khalari didn’t notice it.

The sound of hooves crushing the grass as they walked by almost made him turn his head but he saw from the corner of his eyes that it was just a dryad.

“There’s a dryad here?” he asked out loud, only to get Malfurion to look around confused.

Then, a little fae dragon went right in front of him and whispered to him to open his eyes and Khalari slowly did it, welcomed by a completely new sight. The place he was in but without any of the mortal races, with brighter green and the dryad and fae dragon looking at each other, surprise all over their face to see such a young person with them.

“Khalari?! Khalari! Wake up!” he heard as he felt all of his body shaking.

Finally, he really opened back his eyes and saw Malfurion, a hand supporting his head and another over his shoulder, he was now laying on the ground as he had fallen when sleep took over his body. If Malfurion hadn’t reacted in time, he would have probably hurt his head in the fall and it was why he was holding him. Confused, Khalari tried to look around, wondering what happened to him but Malfurion only laughed.

“I’m quite impressed,” he explained. “It’s not every day that the student I test reach the Emerald Dream on the first meditation.”

“The Emerald Dream?” Khalari asked, still groggy from the short travel.

“It’ll be the subject of a lesson but I can confirm to you that druidism will be your path. With only that test, I can already tell you that you will be really great.”

Coming back to his senses, Khalari smiled at those words. He never really thought about his future or what he would become but hearing that he could do great things was enough to not make him doubt anymore.

“I will start the lesson again,” said Malfurion now that he was sure Khalari was alright. “You can stay there, I will get the other students back here.”

The sun was slowly disappearing at the horizon and Malfurion began to conclude his lesson for the day, Khalari sitting in the middle of the crowd, listening carefully to everything he was saying, way too happy to have found something to do when he was bored. Now that Malfurion was done, all the students began to scatter, ready to go back home but Khalari didn’t have the time to think about it that a voice raised from behind him.

“Khalari!”

Slowly, he turned around and saw Maiev hurrying right towards him, wearing her Warden armor and sounding really angry. In front of Khalari, Malfurion looked at her, wondering what she was doing here, in her armor, and apparently knowing Khalari. His first instinct had been to move in front of the child as he knew how dangerous the Warden could be, especially that it was obvious that Khalari was from a demonic origin but as he saw the guilty look he had, he realized that he clearly barely knew the child.

Once she reached him, she dropped on her knees and hugged Khalari.

“I’ve been searching after you for hours! I was so scared when I realized you weren’t in the house anymore. Why didn’t you warn me that you were going out?”

“Sorry,” muttered Khalari. “I just went out for a walk, I didn’t want to bother you or Jarod.”

“But how did you got out? We didn’t see anything.”

“I…I glided from my window…”

Maiev sighed and gently caressed his face with her thumb as Khalari didn’t dare to look at her, knowing he had messed up and got his mom to be scared.

“I already told you, if you want to learn to use your wings, tell me so I can be there to help you if needed. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know.”

“Hum…Maiev?” interrupted Malfurion, slowly understanding what was happening.

Maiev raised her head and realized that Malfurion was there, standing right next to them. She had been so relieved to find Khalari that she didn’t notice the Archdruid.

“What?” she barked at him, standing up but keeping her arms around Khalari to protect him.

“I’m really surprised to see you here,” he admitted.

“It’s my mom, Shan’do,” intervened Khalari, unaware of the tension between the two adults.

They both opened their eyes wide and looked at each other, Malfurion for the confirmation that she was indeed Khalari’s mom and Maiev at the mention of the word Shan’do, especially that she knew exactly in which context Khalari would use it.

“Shan’do?” Maiev was the first to ask, glaring deadly at Malfurion through her helmet.

“Yes, it happens that Khalari as a really strong affinity with druidism and I decided to start teaching him along to my other students,” explained Malfurion.

Maiev felt the need to punch Malfurion growing but she breathed calmly instead and tried to stay concentrated on the more important things.

“Excuse me a minute,” she told Malfurion as she crouched back at Khalari’s level. “Tell me, sweetie, is it really what you want to do?”

“I think. I really liked this first day and Shan’do told me I went to the Emerald Dream, or something like that,” said Khalari, joy all over his voice.

Maiev only looked up at Malfurion confirming everything with just a movement of his head. She hated that idea that Khalari would become a druid and even more that Malfurion, of all the druid on this planet, would be the one to teach him but as she thought about it, she got flashes from Illidan and how, as he had been forced into a path that wasn’t meant to be, ended up hurt and hurt everyone in his path. She hated even more the idea that Khalari would suffer like his father, meaning that if he had to become a druid because he wanted to, she couldn’t say anything.

“Well, if this is what you want, then I accept it,” she told him, gently brushing his hair.

At those words, Khalari’s smile got bigger and he threw himself on Maiev to hug her, not caring that she was with her armor and she hugged him back.

“So I can expect him here tomorrow morning?” asked Malfurion.

“I’ll bring him, don’t you worry.”

“By the way, I’m quite surprised to learn that you have a son and –”

Malfurion stopped talking as Maiev put a hand in front of him and sighed a little more before smiling mischievously, knowing she had all the cards in hands to surprise Malfurion even more.

“And Khalari, I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you that but…” she began as she got up once again, turning him to face Malfurion. “I present to you your second uncle, the brother of your father.”

Malfurion’s smile dropped as Khalari’s got bigger.

“What?!” could only ask the Archdruid.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it !  
> Tomorrow: Illidan and Maiev dealing with their feelings in a short story.
> 
> See you tomorrow and every day until Christmas with a new fic !
> 
> \----  
> If you just want to talk about WoW, my fics, someone else fics or anything, you can still hit me up on Tumblr!
> 
> https://thewritingof-therose.tumblr.com/
> 
> or on Discord
> 
> The_Rose#2429 (My personal one)  
> https://discord.gg/nvKggwc (An Illidan/Maiev Discord. Everyone welcome here! (Please tell me if the link doesn't work))
> 
> Later!


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